Guwahati, July 18, 2026: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, founded a century ago, does not look towards the sunset but continues to live with the energy and optimism of the rising sun, former Rajya Sabha member Professor Rakesh Sinha said on Saturday.
Addressing a gathering at Shankardev Hall, Keshav Dham, in Guwahati’s Paltan Bazar, Prof Rakesh Sinha said the RSS, founded by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, would remain young and energetic because of the spirit and ideals guiding the organisation.
He also asserted that the RSS maintains an appropriate distance from the ruling establishment and that its functioning is not dictated by those in power.
Prof Rakesh Sinha was delivering a lecture on “Param Pujya Dr Hedgewar and the Century-long Legacy of the Sangh” at a programme organised by the Purbottar Bharat Adhyayan Samuh.
Highlighting what he described as a distinctive quality of Dr Hedgewar, Prof Sinha said the RSS founder deliberately placed the organisation above his own personality. Dr Hedgewar did not seek individual fame and remained committed to advancing the ideology and institutional character of the Sangh, he said.
According to Prof Rakesh Sinha, had Dr Hedgewar promoted his personal image, the RSS movement might have been reduced to an individual-centred philosophy. Instead, the organisation evolved as a collective movement guided by a broader social and national vision.
Prof Sinha, the author of Understanding RSS and Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, said the Sangh does not support divisions between social classes and instead emphasises equality among individuals.
He described Dr Hedgewar as a man of action whose activities associated with the RSS were directed towards the larger welfare of humanity.
Speaking about the condition of Sanatani Hindus, Prof Rakesh Sinha expressed concern that the Hindu society in India continued to remain divided along caste, regional and linguistic lines.
Such divisions, he said, had weakened the majority community and caused Hindus to suffer in their own country.
He argued that a strong and well-organised society could not be created without changing the prevailing mindset and overcoming internal social divisions.
Prof Sinha also cautioned that unity created merely in response to external religious aggression could not remain sustainable for long. Social unity, he said, must arise from a deeper consciousness of common civilisational identity and collective responsibility.
He called upon every Bharatiya to recognise that all Indians are children of Mother India and must move forward together with this principle.
The programme was conducted by Kishor Shivam, Uttar Asom Prant Prachar Pramukh. Around 100 prominent individuals attended the event.
Guru Prasad Medhi, RSS Mahanagar Sanghchalak, also shared the dais, while Professor Kalpana Bora delivered the vote of thanks.
Nava Thakuria is a senior journalist from Assam with over three decades of experience in mainstream and freelance journalism. Born on 1 January 1968 at Bhojkuchi in western Assam, he began his career with Natun Dainik in 1990. His writings are regularly published in several national and international platforms, including The Statesman, Ishan Darpan, Pressenza International News Agency, South Asia Journal and Eurasia Review. He mainly writes on socio-political, cultural, media and environmental issues concerning North East India and neighbouring regions. An alumnus of Assam Engineering College, Thakuria was selected for global recognition by the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign in 2021 and now represents the organisation from South and South East Asia.
Nava Thakuria
View More PostsNava Thakuria is a senior journalist from Assam with over three decades of experience in mainstream and freelance journalism. Born on 1 January 1968 at Bhojkuchi in western Assam, he began his career with Natun Dainik in 1990. His writings are regularly published in several national and international platforms, including The Statesman, Ishan Darpan, Pressenza International News Agency, South Asia Journal and Eurasia Review. He mainly writes on socio-political, cultural, media and environmental issues concerning North East India and neighbouring regions. An alumnus of Assam Engineering College, Thakuria was selected for global recognition by the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign in 2021 and now represents the organisation from South and South East Asia.
